SHS: poking you to beat the fluIsn't it convenient mid terms and flu season both seem to arrive at the same time? To fight this year's strand of the virus and to keep us all out of bed and in class, Western's Student Health Services is offering a free influenza vaccine up until Christmas break.

"The concern is that [we] are expecting a big flu season this year," explained Melanie Slade, Health Education Volunteer Co-ordinator. "With SARS, hospitals and other medical facilities still screening all patients and visitors, and if you present flu-like symptoms, you could be recommended to be quarantined," she added.

It is important to get a shot now to avoid the need to seek medical treatment later on, she explained.

To make an appointment, students may drop by the centre located in Rm. 25 of the University Community Centre or visit their Web site at www.shs.uwo.ca for more contact details. Health cards are required.

-Karla Courtney

Take sucking-up to strange new heightsTime is running out to rack up some extra brownie points with your favourite teacher.

"This is [students'] last chance to nominate their professors in the first term," Fong said, adding any student can submit a nomination form for one of their professors. Teaching assistants, lecturers or tutors are not eligible for one of Western's coveted awards.

"We've set up a new online form this year and it only takes 10 minutes to fill out," Fong explained. "It's easier than ever before."

Nominations can be filled out at www.usc.uwo.ca and must be completed by the end of the week.

-Anton Vidgen

Battle of the bookworm-botsWestern reads... and apparently, so do some other people in the community.

"Western Reads," an initiative modelled after CBC Radio's "Canada Reads" program, will run on campus and online over the next three months. Public figures from around London and prominent bookworms from the university have formed five teams of two to debate some contemporary Canadian nonfiction to determine which book will win the honour of being read and discussed by its author on campus next year.

Western President Paul Davenport will be reading Crow Lake by Mary Lawson with his teammate, London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco.

"[Western Reads] is a great way to promote Canadian nonfiction. We have some outstanding authors in this country; this is a great way to get them better known on campus and in the London Community," Davenport said.

Other books on the list include: Andrew Pyper's Lost Girls, Alastair MacLeod's No Great Mischief, Joan Barfoot's Critical Injuries and Douglas Glover's Elle.

Anyone interested can follow the debate and even weigh in with their own opinions on the books at www.westernreads.ca.

-Dan Perry

Who's afraid of the big bad famine?Cob webs and fake blood at haunted houses not really scaring you? Then come experience a real haunted house and see pictures of poor, dead or dying people.

The World University Service of Canada will be exhibiting a haunted house filled with Halloween horrors in the University Community Centre atrium tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., said Hannah Bontogn, event co-ordinator for WUSC.

"It's not conventional horrors like witches and ghosts and goblins," Bontogn stated, adding instead the haunted house will display the planet's real horrors such as poverty and sickness.

"We're not taking a stance on any of the issues," Bontogn insisted, pointing out the goal of the display is to educate and create awareness.

Bontogn warned the display will have graphic pictures of casualties, AIDS victims and other disturbing images which some students may not want to see.

"In the end we just want people to walk away with something," Bontogn added.